Database Users

Idea for permanent host-mode switch...

Got the idea a few days ago after looking at the full breakdown of the Xoom...
Here's the idea:
Remove the dock charge contact points, and install a micro switch in its place. With the switch in place, find the proper contact points for ground and the host-mode pin on the micro USB port. Solder some 30 AWG to the contact points on the board, then to the switch, and put everything back together.
This would give you the ability to use any USB cable as a host-mode cable, while only affecting charging on docking units. With the battery life of the Xoom, I don't see it as a deal breaker.
Thoughts?

Well, I only charge on the dock. Way to convenient not to have. I don't trust the standard chargers design to withstand me..
However if you are not a dock user, then it sounds like it would be cool.

Just my opinion, but it seems like a lot of risk and effort for not having to carry around a cable. I mean if you have the standard cable, you still need a male to male adapter to use any usb device. So either way you still need something else besides the standard USB cable. I would rather just have a USB host cable that already has the correct USB ends on it and still be able to use my charging dock.
Again just my opinion, YMMV.

HuckFinn said:
Just my opinion, but it seems like a lot of risk and effort for not having to carry around a cable. I mean if you have the standard cable, you still need a male to male adapter to use any usb device. So either way you still need something else besides the standard USB cable. I would rather just have a USB host cable that already has the correct USB ends on it and still be able to use my charging dock.
Again just my opinion, YMMV.
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Well normally I'd agree with you, but it seems that most people are having issues getting good cables unless they buy the Motorola cable.
It's easier to find an adapter for the standard USB cable than it is to find an OTG cable as well.
Still just an idea, but I figured I'd see what everyone thought.

all you need is the Motorola Mini-USB to Micro-USB adapter, a USB extension cable and some scissors.
you'd to still carry around a Female-Female adapter for your USB cables with your idea, i'd rather not rip open my xoom and solder **** when the other option is easier.
Also, if you don't plan on upgrading to LTE, you could just wire up a USB port to the card slot for the LTE card, it should have USB routed to it.

LIV2 said:
Also, if you don't plan on upgrading to LTE, you could just wire up a USB port to the card slot for the LTE card, it should have USB routed to it.
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This actually sounds like a better idea... Was thinking of how I could add in a full-size USB port to remove the extra cable completely. USB out the top would also allow me to hook up an external HDD and still sit the Xoom up in a cinema position.
The question with doing that though, is will it be recognized as a host-mode connection, and if not how would you get it to act as a host-mode connection without the 'fifth pin'?

D.i.y usb otg adapter/cable

Hi,
I made my own usb otg adapter from a plain usb a to micro b adapter. You have to connect pin 4 /which is not connected/ to ground to fire up host mode.
Edit: It is not easy to dismantle a usb connector or adapter and it requires soldering. So I guess anybody with the necessary skills will find the pin on his own. I will not post photos because my solution is far from being pretty.
For everybody else: the nokia USB OTG cable is wired the same way so it is very likely that it will work. (on Hungarian forums I saw references that it works, but I can not guaratee it.)
Tommorow I will go buy one and report.
USB Host mode will allow to connect USB pendrive, mouse, keyboard etc. to the SGS II.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

richyy74 said:
Hi,
I made my own usb otg adapter from a plain usb a to micro b adapter. You have to connect pin 4 /which is not connected/ to ground to fire up host mode.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
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this is very useful for people like me who knows how to solder things, but for the people who have absolutly no Idea what you are talking about, you should add more details/pictures to the OP so the people who doesen't know much about electronics know what you are talking about, and what benefits it brings for them.
I myself will probably make one or more, so I don't have to always take my USB OTG with me all the time.

kaukassus said:
this is very useful for people like me who knows how to solder things, but for the people who have absolutly no Idea what you are talking about, you should add more details/pictures to the OP so the people who doesen't know much about electronics know what you are talking about, and what benefits it brings for them.
I myself will probably make one or more, so I don't have to always take my USB OTG with me all the time.
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May be you dint know about this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1092493
This was explained with pics a long time ago

Yeah sorry. I never saw that. Thanks.

richyy74 said:
Yeah sorry. I never saw that. Thanks.
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Why be sorry. This forum is to help each other out.

OTG Cable USB (B) to Micro USB (A) Powered with AAA batteries
As one knows, Samsung has promised a HMI Cable
You noticed it is not only a cable but a box out of which you may plug in an extra power supply.
The obvious reason is if the passive monitor does not furnish 5V, the phone will rapidly be out of power.
Now you know that to obtain video rather than anything less, Pin 4 (sense) and 5 (Ground) of micro USB (male A) must be connected with a 365K resistance.
I suppose the dock Samsung is selling for I9100 (yes, I have it) is grounded at 1000K as it provides audio with remote, and yes, the dock provides power supply via extra micro USB as well.
I come to my point: If I want to access any USB data On the Go, I need a cable OTG with 2 ports: USB 2.0/3.0 (female, B sided) to a micro USB (male, A sided, grounded but with no resistance = 0K). Many of them exist on the market out there.
But it is quite impossible to use because of lack of power supply in the passive device (let’s say a handy 1T HDD usually powered via Host connexion !
Would it be possible to insert some sort of receptacle for AAA battery in the middle of such a cable to provide for power while you are for a long time out of access to an electric plug ? Does such a cable exist somewhere to buy ? What would be the sheme to mount this ? HELP !

Instead of shorting pin 4 and 5 from within the cable head, would it also be viable to short them from within the device itself? Say if I disassembled the phone to access the back of the female usb micro connector and soldered the pins. Would there be any damage caused if the permanently shorted pins 4 and 5 (within the device) is connected to a charging adapter/PC?

[Q] Homemade USB hub? (no soldering!)

I posted this on Plopper's thread here(http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=923864) but thought it might be better here as I might get a quicker reply
"I have bought a 4 way USB hub which has a usb socket on its input lead. This can be plugged into your PC or into a usb mains charger or usb car charger.
If the input lead is plugged into one of the four output sockets and the lead is cut open and the red and black wires are exposed, a 2A 5v charger can be connected to these wires by twisting together and taping.
This then powers both sides of the hub with 2A supply and by-passes the protection.
It does sacrifice 1 output socket but HD2 +keyboard+mouse= happy Ubuntu
Will this work?"
I am dying to try it but thought I'd check with tech savvy types first.
Edit; I am thinking now that the green and white data cables in the input leads may have to be cut and the ends taped, but it may not matter(?)

Have attached photo of the hub and the charger
The charger is an old Nokia one and has a lump of plastic near the end which I assume houses a fuse of sorts.
Reading through Plopper's thread again I am sure this is OK, but am unwilling to brick my HD2!
You could get a 7 way usb hub and add things like external HDD or (my favourite) a usb fan to cool down your HD2!

Working
OK over 300 views of this thread and no reply!
this usually means the idea is a dud or its been done before!
I have searched around but can only find y-cables, which supply extra 500mA from another USB socket but only allow 1 device connection.
If this has been done before, I apologise.
However, I got bored of waiting and went ahead with cutting up leads and splicing wires. I flashed WM6.5 and loaded Ubuntu 0.3 (only one with USB host that I can find!)
AND IT WORKS!!!!!
I had to buy a micro USB cable because I didn't want to cut my stock one (get a data cable because a charging cable only has 2 wires in it).
Note on cable colours, apparently there may be variation on some manufacturer's cable core colours, take care to identify by tracing circuits on the hub and checking continuity from the pins to each core.
Also, being an electrician, I am wondering what the current carrying capacity of the tiny core cables are, I will have to look it up at some point (adiabatic equation) meanwhile check for overheating.
Enjoy! (something to do on wet weekend!)

Homemade USB
i made this, unfortunately i can't use it with 0.3 bucouse i installed magldr and i use Android, and linit tutorial doesn't work for me
http://i54.tinypic.com/2dquiwo.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/2zsxz6b.jpg

Impressive!
It sure beats the above from me.
What do you use it with?
What else might support USB hosting?
I prefer to use WP7 and Android too (see sig)

i made it for HD2 for use it with Ubuntu, i hope that the v0.4 come out soon and with usb host support...

Doh!
467 views after first posting this and after re-reading plopper's thread again I have realised what plopper and Mister B were saying in their last posts.
There is no protection in unpowered usb hubs, so no need to bypass it!
I have over-complicated everything.
It is only necessary to change the hub lead plug to a microUSB one and then connect the charger to the usb plug which you have just cut off, then plug it into one of the spare ports.
Oh well never mind!

i take a photo with HD2 on it http://i53.tinypic.com/34dr96v.jpg

很好很强大！

nice... ...but, don't smoke so much....

Guys,
For those using Android, you can try Dorimanx's latest 2.9.9 ROM which claims to have USB Host enabled. I don't have a USB OTG cable to try it on, but let us know if having a self-powered USB hub works on it. Thanks

nikola360 said:
i take a photo with HD2 on it i53.tinypic.com/34dr96v.jpg
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OMG this thing is amazing! I really want to make something like this, got any pointers on how to do it?

wow thats the crazyest mod ever you should move to hardware moding scection! maby you will get more help!

bever86 said:
OMG this thing is amazing! I really want to make something like this, got any pointers on how to do it?
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Thanks!....unfortunately i haven't a tutorial, i made it only with my fantasy, i saw 2 DVD cases and i made it.
Guys,
For those using Android, you can try Dorimanx's latest 2.9.9 ROM which claims to have USB Host enabled. I don't have a USB OTG cable to try it on, but let us know if having a self-powered USB hub works on it. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried it (XB V.19 that is based on it, with the same kernel USBH enabled) but unfortunately it doesn't work, i saw in the system partition of this rom and i saw that there aren't any driver for USB hardwares support (USB Keyboard, mouse, USB Flash memory...)...so i think that the problem is this (no drivers support)

nikola360 said:
i take a photo with HD2 on it http://i53.tinypic.com/34dr96v.jpg
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This looks really cool, you should produce it and offer it, I guess I would buy it

USB C cable question

Just wondering before I buy a oneplus 2 does the cable work on every other USB charger plug like all android phones? I'll have to order a non UK plug but if I don't even need to use the supplies charger and can just plug the cable into another one it'll be perfect

It should work, though charging speed may vary and might cause eventual damage to the OP2's battery.

rosswaa said:
Just wondering before I buy a oneplus 2 does the cable work on every other USB charger plug like all android phones? I'll have to order a non UK plug but if I don't even need to use the supplies charger and can just plug the cable into another one it'll be perfect
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Yeah seems to work on any that I have tried. I have tried it on at least 5 different chargers with different USB leads and a Type C adapter for the leads. Just varies the charging times.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-Type...onverter-BU-/252059732551?hash=item3aafee4a47

Fast Charging via USB-C to Mac?

Hi there
I used to be able to get fast charging when connecting my S6 to my MacBook via USB.
Now I connected my new S8 to my MacBook Pro via USB cable (+ USB-C adapter) and it's charging painfully slow.
Is the S8 no longer able to get fast charging when connected to the laptop?
Is there any other issue like maybe the USB-C adapter/ converter? I tried both the Samsung USB-C adapter and Apple's with the Samsung charging cable but no fast charging. Would I need to get a real USB-C cable (both ends)? Or is it just not possible anymore at all connected to a laptop?
Thanks

Get a real C to C connector with no adapters.

Skander1998 said:
Get a real C to C connector with no adapters.
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Ok i'll try that. Just really strange that Samsung couldn't do a real C to C charging cable on their power adapter, why would the new still be regular USB on the charging power adapter itself.

MXS801 said:
Ok i'll try that. Just really strange that Samsung couldn't do a real C to C charging cable on their power adapter, why would the new still be regular USB on the charging power adapter itself.
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Because most people use the USB cables for data transfer as well, and most computers contain a USB A legacy port and no USB C.

MXS801 said:
Ok i'll try that. Just really strange that Samsung couldn't do a real C to C charging cable on their power adapter, why would the new still be regular USB on the charging power adapter itself.
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Pixel and MacBooks with Type-C charging use the Power Delivery standard from the USB standard. Samsung uses Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 on the 7 and 8, so you need a supply with the orange or green connectors.

russ18uk said:
Pixel and MacBooks with Type-C charging use the Power Delivery standard from the USB standard. Samsung uses Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 on the 7 and 8, so you need a supply with the orange or green connectors.
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"orange or green connectors" ?
What exactly is that and any specific brand?

MXS801 said:
"orange or green connectors" ?
What exactly is that and any specific brand?
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They are Quick Charge ports, using Qualcomm technology. Anker, Aukey, even some laptops and PCs have them. Search for Quick Charge.

russ18uk said:
They are Quick Charge ports, using Qualcomm technology. Anker, Aukey, even some laptops and PCs have them. Search for Quick Charge.
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I thought you meant some cable/ connector. My MacBook Pro only has USB-C.
I'd like to find a USB-C cable that would allow fast charging for the S8.

MXS801 said:
I thought you meant some cable/ connector. My MacBook Pro only has USB-C.
I'd like to find a USB-C cable that would allow fast charging for the S8.
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Well they're not compatible standards. Apple and Google went with the USB standards set in Power Delivery. Qualcomm are using their own proprietary system, which so happens Samsung brought to the S8.

russ18uk said:
Well they're not compatible standards. Apple and Google went with the USB standards set in Power Delivery. Qualcomm are using their own proprietary system, which so happens Samsung brought to the S8.
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So that means definitely no fast charging via laptop for me then
Ok thanks anyway.